Values and vision

Cross Cultures is a politically independent, non-profit organization that exists for the purpose of promoting peaceful coexistence and social cohesion between people of different cultures and backgrounds.

Our vision - "Bringing people together" - builds on the basic premise that peace and stability is not an issue between nation states and governments alone. We believe that peace and stability is something civil society is practicing through dialogue and interaction. On this basis we exist with the objective to develop, participate in, and implement culture and sports cooperation across ethnic, national, social, political, and religious boundaries.

It is within this framework that Cross Cultures is using the Open Fun Football Schools as tool for peace education, facilitating intra- and inter-community communication and collaboration in order to provide alternative stories and positions to the ones of conflict. Through education of volunteers we wish to help populations include rather than exclude each other, to fight exceptional thinking, and to stimulate peaceful coexistence. It is a fundamental principle to Cross Culture’s concept that all our activities challenge any division of people into ethnic, political, or religious affiliations, by providing an alternative.

Cross Cultures work is in particular related to SDG target 4.7 with the purpose to promote a cultures of peace and non-violence, gender equality, social inclusion, and incorporation of cultures' contribution to sustainable development.

Additionally, we contribute to the following SDG's through our different programs:

In Cross Cultures we use our peace education to make young men and women become volunteer leaders, coaches and coach assistants for our activities in their local communities. They do not just become instructors of physical activities. They become part of a strong community of resourceful and skilled young people; a network they can draw on for the rest of their lives, and they become role models for the children in their local communities.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

"Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development."

In Cross Cultures fun-sport and especially fun football is what brings us together. We believe that having a non-elite, fun-sport approach to what we do is the best way to welcome and include everyone, regardless of background and earlier experiences in sport, and that this is a unique tool for enhancing good health and well-being for all.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

“Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world”.

In Cross Cultures we believe that sport is for everyone, no matter what gender one has. Therefore we prioritize female participation in all our activities. We aim for a minimum of 40% girls participants and 40% female volunteers in all our activities. We believe that girls' and women's participation in our activities is a valuable tool in combating gender-based stereotypes while at the same time stimulating women's well-being and civic participation.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

"Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene."

In our project in South Sudan we plan to improve the youth employment opportunities by partnering with NIRAS, a private company which holds a contract for a large water programme in South Sudan. The idea is to give youth volunteers from our Open Fun Football Schools the chance to develop income-generating activities or small businesses, and to take on a responsible role in vital water management committees established by NIRAS for the benefit of their communities.

Read more about our work for clean water and sanitation in South Sudan.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

“To reduce inequality, policies should be universal in principle, paying attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations”.

In Cross Cultures we work with a social dimension in all our activities. We aim for a minimum of 30% so-called vulnerable groups represented among the children. This group includes children with special needs, orphans, children from refugee families or returnee families, children from internal displaced families or children from other social cases.

Read more about our work for social integration and respect for diversity in Statistics.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

“A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society. These inclusive partnerships built upon principles and values, a shared vision, and shared goals that place people and the planet at the centre, are needed at the global, regional, national and local level”.

A major focus of Cross Cultures is cross-sectoral cooperation. We work with a model inspired by the Danish SSP work, translated to School + Sport + Police (SSP). SSP aims to create a governance structure where relevant authorities meet at least once a month to discuss community problems and how they can jointly create a system to overcome them.

[1] Provided are the short definitions of the goals as described at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/:

Practice oriented approach

Cross Cultures’ approach to peace and reconciliation derives from the experience of how war and ethnic conflicts affect people and their possibilities of returning to a peaceful everyday life (see History and background for further details).

Our experiences tell us that moving away from the hatred and mistrust between people affected by civil war and conflict is not easily accomplished. Trust rarely comes from discussing the conflict or the problems. Rather, we follow a practice-oriented approach which we believe can be fostered and sustained through local level activities that facilitate dialogue and cooperation.

Cross Cultures is firmly convinced that grassroots sport and playing games are excellent tools for bringing people who are living in conflict sensitive communities to interact and collaborate. Sport and games can give people lived experience of having something in common with the people they would otherwise see as ‘others’.

Through the Open Fun Football Schools program we bring people in conflict to play and interact. Through sport and games we challenge the seemingly natural division of people into ethnic, political, or religious affiliations by providing an alternative. In focusing on the wellbeing and happiness of their children, our programs give the adults, who are otherwise in conflict, a legitimate excuse to interact. In that sense, children’s football can provide a ‘free space’ where people can interact together amidst societal conflict, and when people play together they are able to connect and redefine their relationship by demystifying each other, having dialogue and building trustful relations and thus providing ground for alternative stories and positions to the ones of conflict.

Read more

For further information about our vision and philosophy, please find the Introduction to our philosophy and fundamentals in the Toolbox. Please go to Statistics for further information on our impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.